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EDUCATION: B.A., Hobart College; master’s and Ph.D. in clinical psychology, The Ohio State University

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Taught as a professor of psychology at California State University Long Beach and served as a member of the Long Beach City Council before getting elected to the California State Assembly in 1998. He served until 2004, at which point he won election for the state Senate and was reelected in 2008.

ELECTION 2012 HIGHLIGHT: Lowenthal said his run for Congress gained momentum after former President Bill Clinton visited the University of California at Irvine in October to stump for California Democratic candidates. “It all changed when the rock star came to Orange County: Bill Clinton. He was great. He was more than great. All of a sudden, everyone knew I was running.”

KEY ISSUES: Creating jobs, strengthening the educational system and working on California’s environment.

COMMITTEE: Foreign Affairs

WHAT YOUR COLLEAGUES SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOU: “I’m passionate about the issues that I care about and I’m a really good listener.”

FUN FACT: “I live and die for the Buckeyes. I also love to play racquetball.” — Caitlin Emma

ELECTION 2012 HIGHLIGHT: Won a three-way primary with 40 percent of the vote.

KEY ISSUES: Protecting vital jobs in her district (such as Kirtland Air Force Base and Sandia National Laboratories), job creation andinfrastructure investments. Hopes to protect women’s health from extreme cuts and policy changes. On Agriculture Committee, she will work on management of water rights and drought protocols.

COMMITTEE: Agriculture

WHAT YOUR COLLEAGUES SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOU: “I’m living the experiences that middle-class families are living every day. I’m a caregiver for my mother; I owned a small business that helped high-risk people get access to much-needed health insurance. I have family members who are struggling in the current housing market. I’m bringing my shared experiences to Congress to make a difference for all families.”

FUN FACT: Favorite holidays are April Fool’s Day and Halloween. — Breanna Edwards

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: U.S. representative for New York’s 24th District, 2009-2011. Previously, was the senior vice president of Pinnacle Capital Management, a communications and policy adviser for Sens. Bill Bradley and Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and a reporter for Channel 9 (WSYR-TV) in Syracuse.

KEY ISSUES: Jobs and the economy, balanced budget, tax relief for the middle class, Medicare and Social Security

EDUCATION: B.A., University of Virginia; J.D., University of Virginia School of Law

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Senior adviser in Clinton administration; senior staff member to former New York Govs. David Paterson and Eliot Spitzer. In 2000, founded Kiodex Inc., a risk-management software company.

ELECTION 2012 HIGHLIGHT: Campaign raised over $925,000 in the third quarter of 2012, among the top fundraising totals for Democratic challengers around the country.

WHAT YOUR COLLEAGUES SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOU: On election night, told supporters: “You know, all we’ve won is a grant of time — and it’s a grant of time in which we have to prove ourselves. And the voters have placed their trust in us, and we will not let them down. But they’ve told us in a clear voice: put people first, put people first and put partisan politics second.”

FUN FACT: Will be the first openly gay representative New York has elected to Congress.